The SymmyS Awards

I’ve written before about how a “little dao,” some tangible skill you master, can lead to the Big Dao. It doesn’t have to be something mystical like martial arts or Japanese tea ceremonies; Chuang Tzu talks about a lowly butcher, an archer, and a wheel maker taking this path.

Well, one of my little daos is the writing of palindromes, sentences that read the same backwards and forwards. This weekend, my long-running magazine The Palindromist is holding the first ever Oscars of reversible words, the fabulous SymmyS Awards for outstanding achievement in palindromy, in Portland, Oregon.

Every competitor in last year’s World Palindrome Championship is involved, plus a handful of talented newcomers who are making very strong showings — a computer technician from Indiana, a professional bassoonist from Salt Lake City, a high school math teacher, and a tap dancing saxophonist who will perform at the awards ceremony. The judges are basically every star we could think of with any connection to palindromes — Will Shortz, Demetri Martin, “Weird Al” Yankovic, comedian Jackie Kashian, John Flansburgh (half of the Grammy-winning band “They Might Be Giants”), journalists Jack Rosenthal and Ben Zimmer, and palidndromists Tim Van Ert (Timi Imit) and Jeff Grant (of New Zealand).

So here we have the finalists, 40 brand new palindromes, all of which debuted in 2012. You won’t find my name on the list of entrants, as I run the magazine that is sponsoring all of this. Besides, I’m already the World Palindrome Champion, according to Will Shortz, so it’s time to let someone else shine a while.

2012 SymmyS Award Nominees

10 finalists in each of four categories

Category 1. Short Palindromes

A. Untitled, by Martin Clear

To last six epochs in a den, one Danish cop exists a lot.

B. Untitled, by Ray Stein
Hell – it’s all an if, a final last ill, eh?

H. Igloo dialogue, by John Agee
An igloo costs a lot, Ed!
Amen. One made to last! So cool, Gina!

I. Untitled, by Anne Tenna
“Ottoman Empire: We rip men!” (a motto).

J. Untitled, by Martin Clear

Category 2. Word Unit Palindromes

A) By John Connett

Fishing for excuses? No need. You need no excuses for fishing.

B) By Dave Morice (Poetry Comics, poet-activist)
WORLDS OF BOOKS
There are treasures beyond dreams for you opening worlds of books
when you find and you lose yourself in time and space
where freedom of reading
is
reading of freedom
where space and time in yourself lose you and find you
when books of worlds opening you for dreams beyond treasures are there.
BOOKS OF WORLDS

“Ten nosy men, enamor-free, never upstir
Even satin opuses”, says some gal
Lips parted inside dire droops: award to her
USA’s award: nuts, goddess, I know I shall!
A wisp of UFO warding is all it sees
Zones I rate got some medic I used on mode
Robots sap some memos and see bees
DNA some memos pass to boredom node.
Suicide memos to get a risen Oz
See, still a sign I draw of UFO psi
Wallahs I won kissed dogs; tundra was
A sure hot draw as poor derided I.
Snide traps pillage mossy asses upon it
As never its “pure veneer from an enemy” sonnet.

Category 4. Long Palindromes (title might or might not be part of the palindrome)

D) Eric and Traci discuss the morality of watching cross-dressers, by Martin Clear

“Traci, to regard nine men in drag,” Eric (in a play or an ironic art spot) warned, “I am not so bad.”
“I’d never even seen knees … never even did a Boston maiden raw,” tops Traci, “nor in a royal panic. I regard nine men in drag – erotic art.”